Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,82

saw Elena.

She was standing over the stove, stirring the ground beef. Beside her, Seth was chopping tomatoes. A stack of paper plates had been placed on the counter, but it looked like she was preparing to feed an army.

"Um..." Elena turned to smile at me. "Someone needs to clean off the table. We're probably going to need some more soda for the herd I have. And, um..." She flashed me a weak smile. "Can you check on them? Last I saw, Theo looked like he was about to cry and Nikolai was consoling him. For all I know, Gabby might need a little help managing that troupe so Theo's not overwhelmed. She and Sam trust you, Trent."

"Then I'm on it," I promised, heading for the stairs.

On the way, I told Pax what else she needed, but he was already on it. Ian said he'd get the sodas. Lane didn't ask, just moved to take over the table. As I jogged up the stairs, I saw my best friend flop his arms in frustration, because all of the tasks had just been assigned.

"Help Seth," I hissed at him. "She's not done cooking."

He lifted his thumb and went to do that, so I kept going, reaching the top of the stairs in time to hear Gabby's voice.

"What if you leaving makes them realize that this isn't a joke?" she asked.

"No," Theo mumbled. "You didn't see my dad, Gabs. He was livid."

"Your mom's cool," Nikolai said, his voice deep enough to sound like a tiger's purr. "And you're a girl."

"That has nothing to do with it," Olivia snapped.

"Kinda does," Nikolai countered, making my feet pause as I listened in. "Sure, some parents have an issue with it because it's a sin, or wrong, or things like that. But for girls? It's just about who you love. For guys? If we aren't big, strong, and tough, then we're failures. If we like guys, then clearly we're sissies. Doesn't mean it's true, but that's how it works, and there's no going back once it's out, ok?"

I made a point of clearing my throat just before I rounded the corner. Through the open door, I watched as the group of kids all flinched, turning to see who'd just walked in on the somewhat sensitive subject. I paused at the doorway and scanned them until I found Nikolai. He was sitting with Theo, his arms wrapped around the boy in a clearly romantic sort of way.

"So, I'm guessing this means I should pretend I didn't just hear any of that, huh?" I asked.

Nikolai's jaw clenched. "Thought wolves would make more noise."

"The herd downstairs does kinda drown it out," Olivia countered. "Nik, Trent's cool."

"He's not out," Gabby said, cutting straight to the chase. "Theo isn't really either. Well, I mean, except to us. So, it'd be better if you didn't say anything."

"I'll have to tell the tribe downstairs to ignore it too," I told her. "They all know about Theo."

"But not Nik!" Gabby hissed.

"They will," I countered. "Gabby, you know as well as I do that what one of us knows, the rest find out quickly. It's why we work so well with Ian. And your mom? She's not an idiot." I glanced over at Nikolai. "She also talks to Lev quite a bit."

"My mom's not stupid either," Olivia said. "If Theo's moving in with me..."

Nikolai glanced at her, a little smile curling one side of his mouth. "We're all just hanging out, though."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. Because you're so subtle about hitting on him, Nik." And she flopped both arms at him, gesturing to the way he sat with Theo.

"I kinda want to come out," Theo said. "I mean, I got kicked out. What more do I have to lose?"

"You're mostly out already," I told him. "And wolves won't care."

"Mom won't say anything if I ask her not to," Olivia told Nikolai. "I mean, she won't let you spend the night or anything, but she won't tell your dad."

"I..." Nikolai looked up at me. "Dad wouldn't understand."

Which didn't fit what I'd seen of Lev so far, but I knew what it was like to be scared of the unknown, so I just nodded. "It's not our place to tell him, and you're right, he doesn't seem to have a clue. He thinks you like girls."

"I kinda do," Nik admitted. "I just..." He looked at Theo, then right back to me. "Please don't say anything? We just moved here, and I don't want him moving us